We are so pleased to be able to feature a personal interview with Lucia Strini - a long-time and highly accomplished eventer that hails from Scottsville's Plain Dealing Farm and counts the Virginia Horse Center as her "hometown" arena. Lucia blogged about us earlier this year during the spring Virginia Horse Trials and we met each other online. Hopefully, she'll make a trip to the fall Virginia Horse Trials so we can meet in person! Enjoy the Q&A...
1. Tell me a
bit about how you got into eventing? Did you always envision competing at such
a high level?
My whole family sort of fell into the world of Eventing without really meaning
to. My mum had grown up in Warrenton, VA and had grown up surrounded by horse
country but it wasn't until she was visiting some friends in Montana that she
was introduced to the sport of Eventing. When we moved to Scottsville, VA and
onto a farm she thought it would be a fun idea to start up a little program and
have someone there to teach her pony-obsessed kids ( myself and my sister,
Benita). That's when fate struck and we ended up hiring Kim Severson (then
Vinoski). Kim's career blossomed with the help of Plain Dealing's horses Over
the Limit, Royal Venture and of course Winsome Adante and along with that my
love for the sport was born and nurtured in an incredible environment. Being
around Kim and seeing her compete at Rolex and the Olympic Games in Athens only
made my desire to get there myself one day even stronger. For awhile I wasn't
sure if I would ride for a living, but once I got bit by the horse bug as a
little girl who loved ponies, it was impossible to shake. And that's really why
I'm still here, I love the horses.
2. What words would you use to describe
eventers on the whole?
As a whole I believe eventers are very ambitious and strong, they have goals
and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve them- they are true athletes.
They are also sensitive and patient. They must be to form such strong bonds
with their equine partners and to be able to listen to what those partners have
to tell them. They are also thrill-seekers, you have to love that adrenaline
rush that comes with a fabulous cross country round, double clear stadium or a
foot perfect dressage test. And of course, so many of them are
perfectionists- which is what is required these days to reach the top of the
sport.
3. Which area is your favorite – jumping, cross-country or dressage?
I honestly really love the combination of having to compete in all three at an
event and having a partnership with your horses that crosses over three
different disciplines. I had always felt the most confident in the Dressage and
Cross Country phases growing up, but more recently I have really loved becoming
a better show jumper and feeling confident when I enter that ring. Obviously I
love cross country, that is the main reason not to compete in pure Show Jumping
or Dressage, but I do truly love the combination of all three.
4. To reach a certain level, you have
to have a fantastic partner in your horse. Tell me about your horses over the
years.
I love all the my dear horses who have helped me get to where I am today
because each one taught me important lessons and added to my knowledge. I could
ramble on forever about all of them but here is a look at three of the most influential
ones:
My first horse ever, Stella, whom I purchased from Courtney Cooper, taught me
the ropes and took me from novice to representing Area II at the 2002 NAJYRC
which was an amazing experience (we qualified together at the CCI* at the
Virginia Horse Center). Eventing is not often a team sport (besides your horse)
and I really enjoy competing on one.
The first horse to give me a taste of the upper levels was named Addis Abba aka
"Gabbie" and I love him desperately. I got him as a green 5 year old and
he won his first CCI* at age six. He was so naughty throughout his career
,getting us eliminated in every way possible including rearing out of in-gates,
but I loved him and stuck by him even though he drove my mum crazy with his
antics. When he was 7 we travelled together to our first CCI** at Radnor where
we finished as the highest place young horse, highest place young rider and in
5th place and also finished 6th in the Young Rider division at the CCI** at the
Virginia Horse Center in it's first short-format three day. He got me onto the
developing riders list for 2006 and took me around the first 8 jumps of my
first advanced level event before I pulled him up due to what would be a career
ending injury. He is happy and living the good life at Plain Dealing Farm. He
did so much for me and taught me so much I just wish he had gotten the chance
to show the world more of what he was made of. He really is a champion.
My current love is a 17.1 hand monstrosity with an affinity for chewing on his
own tongue. Oudo is an 11 year old dutch gelding and a saint of a horse. He is
the spookiest thing I have ever sat on and with age it hasn't gotten any
better, at any given show you can spot him spooking and dashing from fellow
horses in all warm ups and is constantly wearing a neck-strap. He makes up for
these shenanigans by being an incredible mover and is an amazing jumper and I
trust him completely when we leave the start box. He trusts me too and will try
his heart out, he may not be the speediest of horses being that he is mostly
all warmblood but he has the heart. I got him from Kelli Temple as a 6 year old
competing training level and I took him up through the CIC*** level. He has had
a bit of a rough couple seasons plagued by those annoying silly injuries that
always happen and then a more serious one this spring that requires the rest of
the year off but he will hopefully be back and better than ever in 2013. He is
truly a darling animal.
5. What
coaches have helped you get to where you are today?
Of course Kim Severson has had the biggest impact on my riding career. She
started teaching me when I was still on ponies and molded the way I ride , how
I look at the sport and my barn management (you ALWAYS braid). Having returned
recently to training with her feels so right and I am so excited to work with
her in the coming months. I've also had the pleasure of training with Phillip
Dutton and had him as my coach at Young Riders in 2002 and his wealth of
knowledge is invaluable and it was a privilege to learn from him. I also have
to give a lot of credit to Will Coleman who I trained with for over two years.
Before coming to him I was a very nervous show jumper with a difficult horse
and Will, who excels in that phase, has really molded who I am as a rider now.
I am a much more relaxed and thoughtful in the saddle now. Also credit
must be given to every competitor out there who took their time to walk a
course or discuss a line with me at a show when my coach was absent . Even
those at the top of the sport are always willing to help and lend their
expertise to younger riders, all we have to do is ask.
6. What is special about Charlottesville that keeps you in Virginia and helps to
enhance your riding career?
I think the ability to be around my family and have that kind of support system
is incredibly important and is one of the main reasons I decided to return to
Charlottesville. I especially love being able to be around my sister Benita and
ride with her and bounce ideas off of her, she helps so much. Also, the
facilities my mum has created at Plain Dealing are amazing and being able to
base my operation there makes me feel really lucky. The horses thrive on the
fabulous grass and I get to be in a prime location to train with Kim. It is
also a good location to be able to travel both north and south to compete while
not having to drive too far. We also have quite a lot of events that are close
by, including of course the VA Horse Trials!
7. How many times have you competed at
the Virginia Horse Center over the years- do you enjoy coming back here?
I can't count the number of times I have competed there. I did starter horse
trials when I was on my ponies, competed in Pony Club Dressage, Show Jumping
and Games Rallies that were held there. I competed in my very first long format
three day event ( one star) and also experienced my first three day win in the
CCI* (YR) in 2005. It is an amazing venue that we keep coming back to.
I'm trying to fit attending the Show Jumping shows into my schedule because they
are so convenient!
8. Can
you speak to the importance of high quality competition grounds for Virginia
riders and beyond?
I don't always set off to an event feeling completely confident that the arenas
will be of good quality and the courses not only be well designed but also
beautifully constructed, however I feel that way when driving to the Virginia
Horse Center. It is so important to have those basics be in place so that we
can then have the best possible chance of giving our horses a good experience
and the VA Horse center consistently delivers. The facility is so impressive
that it makes competing there feel like an extra special occasion and inspires
your best, especially when you walk through those doors of the coliseum. As a
young rider especially, the chance to compete at such an astounding facility is
an amazing experience and because the VA Horse Center caters to both the upper
and lower levels, riders of experience and ages have that chance. The
fact that this facility not only caters to eventers but also to so many other
equestrian disciplines makes it that much more valuable. I can attend the
Virginia Horse Trials with my top mounts, take the babies to the schooling
trials, send my Dressage sales horse to be competed at the Summer Dressage
Series and then tune up my Show Jumping all at the Virginia Horse Center.
Thanks Lucia! And best of luck through the rest of your season!
